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The state Republican party has always been a major force in state politics, in many cases having a dominant position. Founded in 1889, the party initially dominated all state politics for the state's first 20 years of existence, with the exception of a brief period from 1893 to 1894 in which the North Dakota Democratic-Independent Party briefly overthrew the Republican Party.

In the early 20th century, the party was effectively divided into two groups that nominated candidates on the Republican ticket, the progressive Non-Partisan League (NPA) and the conservative Independent Voters Association (IVA). This period ended when the NPL merged with the state Democratic Party, and the IVA effectively became known as the Republican Party.

The party holds its convention in the spring of election years, usually rotating the convention between four of the state's largest cities: Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, and Minot.

The North Dakota Republican Party controls all nine of the statewide offices and holds supermajorities in both the North Dakota Senate and the North Dakota House of Representatives. Republicans also hold one of the state's U.S. Senate seats and the state's At-Large congressional district.